Once upon a time, The Perfume Society‘s Co-founder Jo Fairley had tea with Estée Lauder herself – at New York’s Plaza Hotel, in the famed Palm Court dining room.
As Mrs. Lauder entered the room, a whisper went around it like an audible Mexican wave: ‘It’s Estée Lauder… Estée Lauder… Estée Lauder…’ And truly, she was New York royalty: a woman who changed the world of beauty, innovating, creating, promoting… A woman who invented the ‘Gift With Purchase’, and counted the Duchess of Windsor and Diana Vreeland among her ritzy friends.
On that occasion, Jo was there to interview the ground-breaking beauty entrepreneur about Youth Dew. But within the Estée Lauder fragrance collection, there are many other classic treasures – from the wonderfully sporty Aliage through to Cinnabar (with its if-you-love-Opium-you’ll-love-this spicy warmth).
As of now, the fragrances have had a makeover – not the ‘juices’, but the bottles. They’ve got a beautiful, sleek and modern look – albeit inspired by vintage fragrance bottles – and they feel luxuriously weighty, in the hand. Eight fragrances have all been embraced under this new ‘House of Estée‘ umbrella…
Estée – which was inspired by the shimmer of two crystal chandeliers, reflected in a glass of champagne.
Azurée – created to conjure up the sunlit world of the Mediterranean.
Aliage – ‘sporty’ as we say, with its citrus/green notes.
Cinnabar – which kickstarted the whole 80s trend for Ambrées.
Spellbound – said to ‘capture the intense magic of falling in love’. (A Floriental, it has notes of rose, muguet, orange blossom, carnation, and purrs with sandalwood, vanilla and amber.)
Tuscany per Donna – evoking the golden light and sensuality of the Tuscan landscape.
Intuition – to tap into the deeply feminine inner voice, within each of us.
Beyond Paradise – a ‘prismatic floral’ (as Lauder puts it), with tropical floral notes.
If you’ve never explored the fragrances in the collection, seems like the perfect excuse: the new design returns many of these classics deservedly to the spotlight. (And if you’re in love with one of the above fragrances and feel sentimental about the current bottles disappearing, stockpile now…!)
We also invite you to explore the rich heritage of the house itself here, where you can enjoy their perfume house page, on our site.
House of Estée fragrances are priced from £48-50 for 50ml
Find the whole House of Estée Lauder collection at esteelauder.co.uk
Written by Jo Fairley
